Thames was claimed off waivers by the Astros in September, but he never saw the field as the club stuck with their younger outfielders down the stretch. Thames is still pretty young himself at age 27, and he possesses good on-base skills and decent power, but his success in the minors has not translated over a full season at the major league level thus far. Thames will look to sort things out in Korea after signing a deal with NC Dinos in December.

2013

Thames came to Seattle from Toronto at the trade deadline and thrived at Safeco Field, posting a 1.044 OPS at home (58 AB) compared to .380 on the road (65 AB). Statistical anomaly in limited at-bats? Probably. More important is his lefty/righty split, which suggests a platoon future. It's a route the Mariners might have considered this season, but signing Raul Ibanez all but guarantees Thames won't be with the big-league club when camp breaks. Ultimately, Thames needs to improve his contract rate (.73 with Toronto, .63 with Seattle) for more consistency at the plate.

2012

Thames got his well earned shot in May after a hot start at Triple-A Las Vegas and was up for good by June and seeing regular playing time. He hit 12 homers but struggled at times with the strike zone (88 strikeouts in 394 plate appearances) in his first exposure to the majors. His struggles against southpaws (.209 average, .637 OPS in 91 plate appearances) point to a platoon situation, potentially with Rajai Davis, as he tries to work his way into the picture in left field.

2011

Thames enjoyed a breakout season at Double-A New Hampshire last year, hitting .286 with 27 homers in 130 games. He struggled against southpaws (.773 OPS) but handled righties well enough (.943 OPS) to warrant consideration as a nifty platoon mate down the road. He'll first need to prove that last year was no fluke after dealing with some injuries in the previous two seasons but bears watching.